Need help with a red setter pup

jeffstally

jeffstally

Member
Ernie, my 5 month old red setter sometimes gets a mind of his own. When I run him, he wants to do his own thing and run out of range.

Being a flusher guy until now, it is a little stressful not being able to see my dog. I think that I would like to keep him in the 100-150 yard range in the open, closer in the woods. How do you guys go about teaching range with the dog?

Also, his recall is horrible if he can't see me. We went through a narrow piece of woods today and he ran down the woods line out of sight for 1/2 mile before his check cord caught on a tree and I was able to get him.

I am thinking I should only run him in the open for awhile. When he can see me, he stays in range pretty well with the occasional ecollar tickle and will even listen to directional hand signals.

Am I wrong to try to reel him in that close to me?
 
You are expecting perfect obedience from a 5 month old pup. It is not going to happen. Give the dog time to be a puppy and let him learn at his own pace. To keep him closer I'd hide from him a few times and scare heck out him. Let him get the feeling he's lost and then let him find you. A few times of that and he'll stay close. I took mine to an area with CRP and trees. I just hid behind a tree and let him come back and find me. I could see him but he could not see me the whole time......Bob
 
Last edited:
Bob is right let him b a pup for awhile while still teaching him the things you want but dont forget this word PUP he is finally away from the litter and the world is his playground it wont hurt him to explore a little but in a coupple months when hunting season is upon us then drop the hammer a little and let him know who is the real boss and start working on keeping him in there closer and he may be one of those good dogs that you can trust to hold point until you get there
 
He's still young, but getting to that age where he is going to try and test you. Make sure he knows his commands (voice and/or whistle) and when he fails to repsond just nick him a little with the collar. After awhile he will learn how far out he can range and you should have pretty good control of him. Good luck!
 
Bob's hiding thing works well, have used it when mine were at about the same age and usually cures them. The dog is definitely in the age bracket for testing its boundaries at about 6 months they get very frustrating.
 
Check Lead with Spike Collar for Range

I got my dog to limit his range by using a check lead and a spike collar. I would give him a check signal (whistle) and then turn him sideways with the lead, then extend my arm in the direction he was facing and walk that way. It was a dual hand signal/range training technique. I never have trouble with range. He was nine months old when I put him through about 20 minutes of that training every weekend for three months before the season.

Best of luck with your new pup. Be patient because he still pretty young for this. Have a great season and let us know how he shows out in the field when the shootin' starts.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top